Anna Seregina and Kyle Mizono
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Rutherford.
Anna Seregina and Kyle Mizono are hosts of Truth Hounds. Follow Anna on Twitter here, Kyle here, and Truth Hounds here.
So you're people who are interested in lots of things and/or people with lots of time on your hands. What are the other reasons this podcast came about?
KYLE: We were initially making a podcast about my obsession with Keanu Reeves and the John Wick: Parabellum movie. I saw it 10 times in theaters, and we were investigating why that was. We still want to go there at some point, but we decided to first make a show a little broader, about more universal topics, that could sort of introduce ourselves to the podcast world.
What was the inspiration for the tone of this show? It's funny but in a way that I think is pretty unique to podcasting.
KYLE: Anna, you take this one way, I think.
ANNA: Thank you, Kyle. A significant part of it is actually incredibly UNunique to podcasting: a very, very broad and general “investigative journalism” cadence. I (perhaps foolishly) think I am almost fluent in it, because of the number of straight, un-comedic investigate podcasts I listen to. Sometimes, when we’ve been, like, immersed in editing, I’ll think we’ve veered very far away from this cadence. Then, I’ll listen to one of the many podcasts I’m subscribed to, and be blown away by how similar our narrating is. Like, it actually doesn’t feel, to me, like parody. Then, of course, there’s the other part: the tone of our friendship, which is… let’s say “funky.” So I think it’s an intersection of something very unique -ourtone-, and something very familiar -an entirely plagiarized tone-.
Can you talk about your friendship? It feels like you go way back.
KYLE: Anna and I are actually very good friends. It’s a very pure thing.
ANNA: You won’t be hearing an argument from me on that point, Kyle.
What does each of you bring to the show? How are you different and what do you share?
KYLE: We both share a love of life. Anna brings smarts, gorgeousness and humor. And I bring money and admin skills.
ANNA: Honestly, we perform together a lot in comedy, and I think we have become very, very good at developing each other’s ideas. Like, one of us with think of a very general idea, and the other will immediately see an opportunity to elevate it. And this totally switches off - there isn’t, like, the idea person, and the editor person.
Isn't Anna Hossnieh the best? How. Does. She. Do it?
KYLE: She is the best! We love Anna! Hi, Anna if you’re reading this!
ANNA: And I’ll just go ahead and agree: we love Anna.
How do you make an episode? There are so many elements--phone calls, live audio, conversations between the two of you on a windy bench...how do you get from idea to final episode?
KYLE: Anna, you got this?
ANNA: Of course, Kyle. There isn’t a uniform answer! We have arrived at some episodes by thinking of the overall question/prompt first (ex. the Late episode), while others form around an activity/type of thing we’d like to do or have to do (ex. Kyle having to go to New York). Generally, one of those elements is in place, and then we think of the types of segments we can utilize to support them. Because we rely on outsiders’ participation so much, we end up forming a lot of segments as we go - they are not in the initial plan.
Why was the episode about being late first? Is that the first episode you thought of?
KYLE: We thought the Late episode would be a good introduction to the show, and what we were trying to do. Our first idea was probably “koo-koo bananas,” but at a certain point, we took a step back. We were like we need people to get on board with us before we go absolutely nuts. But we will got nuts. It’s coming.
ANNA: It’s very funny, in retrospect, that we were like, “This will earn people’s trust and make them respect and trust us to be serious and keyed in.”
Were there any ideas you had for an episode that you just couldn't make happen?
KYLE: So far, I feel like we’ve been able to do everything we’ve wanted to do, and more.
ANNA: I’ll echo the sentiment of “and more.”
How much of Truth Hounds is scripted, how much of it do you adlib?
KYLE: We obviously spend a lot of time writing out the VO, but when we are out in the field, it’s just us being us.
What are your relationships with your voices? How would you describe them?
KYLE: I love my voice and I’m proud of it.
ANNA: I am proud of my voice, and I love it.
If you were going to start a podcast about something else...don't worry about any of the logistics or whether or not anyone would like it...what would it be?
KYLE: Probably, the Keanu Reeves podcast we were working on: There’s Something About Mr. Reeves.
Fill in the blank: You will like Truth Hounds if you like _____ (can be a person, place, thing, or idea.)
KYLE: Nice things.
ANNA: Kyle, that’s a beautiful sentiment.
I ask this because I have social anxiety...do you have social anxiety? And if you do...how did that impact your podcasting? Does podcasting help with social anxiety, or does social anxiety make podcasting more challenging?
KYLE: Oh yes, I sure do! Podcasting definitely helps, because I can engage with people but you can’t see my face. Hopefully, this makes sense.
ANNA: Kyle, that makes perfect sense. I also want to add that we are both very shy-friendly. In our “calls to action,” interviews, whatever, I think we both try to create a very comfortable environment for the people participating for this very reason!
What's your advice for other people who also want to be Truth Hounds when they grow up?
KYLE: Just make sure you do not have a lot going on.
ANNA: Yeah, make sure you’ve got a lot of free time.
Which podcasts do you listen to?
KYLE: This is bad but I do not listen to podcasts. It’s hard for me to process auditory information.
ANNA: And, you see, on the other end of the spectrum, I listen to most podcasts.
Thanks, Kyle and Anna!